« radio web macba » interruptions # 8, variations #7

INTERRUPTIONS #8, Sounds in Cause.
(60' 28'')

A selection of field recordings from environments that are currently in the midst of a process of irreversible change.

Curated by José Manuel Berenguer and Carlos Gómez

Sounds in Cause works as an archive containing the sound heritage of a series of cultural contexts in Latin America where, for good or ill, the environment is expected to experience irreversible changes in the short and medium term as a result of economic growth. The Orquestra del Caos began collecting samples in October 2009. At present, the archive includes 300 Gigabytes of samples of soundscapes from seven Latin American contexts.

The collection and dissemination of sound data for subsequent use in artistic and research projects fits perfectly within the raison d’etre of Caos->Sonoscop. Through international sound-based artistic interventions, this project aims to raise awareness of these changes, firstly in the vicinity of the sites where the sound samples are recorded, and secondly in all the different cultural centres in which the artists involved in the international call for participation organised by Orquestra del Caos work. Furthermore, its essence is to try to introduce scientific methodologies into arts practice on one hand, and to encourage science to look outside of itself and use approaches borrowed from other contexts on the other.

VARIATIONS #7. The Composer.
(58' 18'')

Mainstream audiences recognize appropriation once artists begin practicing it as self-expression.

Curated by Jon Leidecker

In the nineties, sampling technology reached a level of sophistication and control that allowed musicians to truly assert themselves over their materials. While some collagists innovated by conifdently stepping into the traditional role of the romantic composer, presenting the resulting music as an expression of self, others continued to explore the intrinsic meanings suggested by the craft itself.

In this episode we trace through examples of the popular music that brought the term 'remix' into the popular lexicon, hear the CD player joining the turntable as a live performance instrument, and connect digital sampling to the history of musical borrowing: written notation’s classical equivalent to the editing techniques that modern composers use to transform existing music into new compositions.

more: http://rwm.macba.cat/